Chapter 5

[Yes! Pry it with the ice pick!]

[The bottom-left screw's rusted through. Put your weight there!]

I gritted my teeth and threw the last of my strength into it.

Crack.

The first bolt snapped. I shifted my angle, braced the scanner's hard casing against the edge of the grate, and pushed again.

A second bolt gave. Then a third — until the whole grate had been forced open into a gap wide enough to crawl through.

I shoved Todd through first, then climbed in after him. The moment I hit the floor inside, I'd burned through nearly every last scrap of strength I had. But I couldn't afford to go down. I forced myself to switch on the backup power and boot up the encrypted satellite comm station.

When the connection to the international joint rescue frequency went through, a startled voice answered.

"This is Joint Rescue Command. Please state your identity and position."

I held onto the console, my voice raw. "This is Kate Connery, lead data analyst for the polar expedition's core research division. I'm currently at Research Outpost Three, the abandoned multinational station. Initiate a Tier-One evacuation immediately. At the same time, use the highest authorization level to freeze all data access on the home project team's servers."

The voice on the other end confirmed my identity fast. "Dr. Connery, your authorization command has been received. Stay on the line. We're dispatching the nearest rescue crew to reach you."

I closed my eyes. "One more thing. Please notify the International Geological Consortium and the organizing committee back home at the same time. Chris Hanks is suspected of deliberately sabotaging a rescue route, endangering the lives of his team members, and attempting to illegally seize the project's core data. I have all the evidence."

Meanwhile, back at the research base at home, Chris and Angelina had landed safely by helicopter. The instant he stepped off, eyes red-rimmed, he sprinted for command central.

"Quick! Get heavy ice-cutting equipment out to the cave in the back mountains! Kate gave up her cold-weather gear for a new team member — she gave up her own chance to survive so someone else could live, and now she's trapped under the avalanche!"

His voice was hoarse, and he even managed to squeeze a few convincing tears at the corners of his eyes. Everyone in the room was moved by the sight of a man grieving his lost wife while still holding the operation together.

But the second he was alone in his office, he didn't even bother shutting the door all the way before diving for his workstation. Red text flashed across the screen.

ACCESS DENIED: CORE PERMISSIONS LOCKED.

Chris's brow knotted instantly. He knew the data was password-protected, but he wasn't worried — not yet. He was counting on Angelina, his so-called genius protégée, to crack it. And if that failed, he figured the team back home could brute-force the lock open in a matter of months.

What he hadn't counted on was that I'd used an irreversible polar-grade encryption algorithm. Force it open, and the underlying data would wipe itself instantly.

The comments scrolled past in front of me.

[Hahahaha, good luck getting that open!]

[Chris: My wife's dead, but the data should still be mine. Kate: Dream on.]

[Irreversible encryption, huh? Finally, a smart decision from her!]

The rescue plane reached the station under a dim, overcast sky. I was wrapped in an emergency blanket and carried aboard. An international investigator sitting across from me leaned in and asked quietly, "Dr. Connery, are you sure you want to head home right now?"

I tightened my grip on the chip and looked out the window at the storm swallowing the polar landscape.

"I'm sure. Chris is planning to accept an award on my behalf, isn't he? In that case, I'll need to be there in person."

My phone buzzed the second it found a signal again. An invitation to the Annual Polar Expedition Honors Gala popped up. Time: nine tomorrow morning. Location: the National Convention Center.

The comments flooded my vision instantly.

[Here it comes! The most satisfying comeuppance scene on the whole internet!]

[Go get him! Make him die of embarrassment on camera in front of everyone!]

I looked at the smiling, cultured publicity photo of Chris on my screen and smiled a little myself.

'Chris. Didn't you want to stand in the spotlight and accept an award over my grave? Then you'd better brace yourself.

'Tomorrow, I'm going to personally destroy your reputation.'